I have heard it said that one voice shouting at a concert is annoying, but that a thousand people yelling at a concert is one of the most beautiful sounds you will ever hear. If you have ever been to a concert and heard the crowd sing the song along you know what I mean. The sound of hundreds of untrained voices singing their hearts out puts most professional choirs to shame in my book. 30 Seconds to Mars seem to have a similar belief with their album This Is War, which features hundreds of fans singing background vocals on most of the songs. Taking fan interaction to a new level, this long awaited album is a new experiment for the band.
30 Seconds to Mars is the baby of brothers Shannon(drums) and Jared(vocals/guitar) Leto, yes Jared Leto the Hollywood actor. But do not think this band is some side project that the actor does every now and again, this band seems to be more of Leto's life than his acting career. The band formed in 1998 and has three albums out to date. This is War is the newest album coming out in December of 2009.
This album has been a long time coming. The bands last album came out in 2005, that makes it forever in the music scene of today's terms for a band to come out with a new album. That being said a lot of people went into This is War with a bad taste in their mouth, a taste that was quickly forgotten and replaced with the taste of chocolate marble cake.
"This is War" is the first song I'm going to talk about. This is the song that shows the listener how much vocal interaction went into the record. The crescendo at the beginning is nothing but fans. This leads into a driving verse that leads to a very open chorus. This pushes to a bridge that feels like the band is marching toward something, the explosion that leads the listener free falling back into the chorus. The outro is Leto singing with the background vocals handled by a crowd of people accompanied by an open guitar and loose drums.
Second on the list is the song "Kings and Queens." This is the first single off the record and provides a huge slap in the face to anyone that doubted this band. This song feels epic, that is the only word I can think to describe it. The verses are cleverly put together and each one climaxes uniquely into the chorus. Leto's voice in the bridge is something to pay very close attention to, it is left out in the open for him to shine and he shines amazingly. The group vocals at the end of the song will send chills down your spine.
Up next is "Vox Populi." This song is another great example of the group vocals contained on the album. The song opens with them singing the chorus with no help from Leto or anyone else in the band. Through out the song they are featured in interesting flourishes and in each chorus. The entire song feels like the anthem song of the album, ever pushing toward a goal and sounding celestial and uplifting. The refrain after the bridge is the group vocals singing the chorus with the band playing in the background. This leads to probably the biggest climax of the album, think spaceship braking into space.
The last song I'm going to talk about is "Hurricane." Vastly different from the rest of the album, this song is dark and foreboding. It feels like a soul searching, making the listener think and listen as the singer talks about failure and regret. But it is the vast difference, the doubt in triumph, that makes this song stand out in my mind.
I will admit that when I first picked up this album I was skeptical. I am openly not a huge fan of this band and wanted this album to be a bust. I was quickly proven wrong when I listened to this album, it was a new push and a new experience. Though it took longer to make than I would have liked, the album was worth the wait.
Always Listening,
Nick
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